SASOGD LeadershipTaymy J. Caso, PhD (They/She) Taymy Josefa Caso, Ph.D., (they/she) is an Assistant Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta and a lecturer at New York University and the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Caso completed the Randi and Fred Ettner Postdoctoral Fellow in Transgender Health in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health and maintains a research affiliation at the National Center for Gender Spectrum Health. They hold degrees in counseling and clinical psychology from New York University and Columbia University, Teachers College. Their research focuses on minority health disparities, intersectionality, identity-based marginalization within LGBTQ+ BIPOC communities, gender and sexual fluidity, and social determinants of health. Their advocacy work utilizes decolonizing pedagogy to deconstruct institutional and systemic barriers to equity and develop community-based interventions for underserved communities. They have been the recipient of several grants and awards, including: the Samuel Eshborn Award, Outstanding Research Contribution Award, Research and Scholarship Showcase Award, César Chávez/Clara Hale Community Outreach Award, Ronald McNair/Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Academic Excellence Award, and the Arthur B. Zankel Urban Fellowship. These awards recognize scholarship, service, advocacy, and activism that support and empower marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Mark Taracuk, PhD (He/Him) Mark D. Taracuk (he/him/his) is a licensed psychologist and training director at Georgia Southern University’s Counseling Center in Statesboro, Georgia. He completed his doctoral degree in counseling psychology at Oklahoma State University, his master’s degree in counseling at Indiana University, and his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Ohio State. His clinical interests include college student development, autism spectrum disorders, sexual health and well-being, intimate partner violence, and gender and sexual diversity. Mark is an avid Indiana Hoosiers basketball fan, enjoys anything related to hammocks, and loves Labrador Retrievers. Shannon Peters, PhD (She/Her) Shannon Peters (she/her/hers) is a counseling psychologist and lecturer at Boston University. She received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. In her current role, she teaches and advises undergraduate students seeking careers related to public health and clinical practice. Shannon’s teaching is informed by feminist theory, liberation psychology, and critical psychology. Her research and clinical interests include the impacts of systemic oppression, discrimination, and trauma on the mental health of marginalized individuals, LGBTQ+ healthcare and mental health, gender-based violence response and prevention, institutional corruption in psychiatry, and depathologizing normative distress. During her free time, Shannon enjoys spending time outdoors, reading young adult fantasy novels, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family. Dustin Shepler, PhD (He/Him) Dustin Shepler (he/him/his) is a licensed psychologist, AASECT certified sex therapist, and Director of Clinical Training at the Michigan School of Psychology. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology at Ball State University and his predoctoral internship at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte CAPS. Dr. Shepler’s research interests include sexual identity development and testing and assessment. He continues to provide care for clients in his private practice where his clinical work focuses on LGBTQ+ concerns (e.g., coming out, trans-affirmative care) and treatment of sexual dysfunctions. In his free time, he enjoys traveling with his husband, playing disc golf, running, and spending time with family. Zakary Clements, PhD (He/Him) Zakary is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Washington in St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the University at Kentucky’s Internship Consortium. His clinical interests are focused on LGBTQ+ positive identity. His research focuses on transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive (TNB) people’s well-being, and how factors such as authenticity and resiliency impact well-being. His primary research focuses on understanding what positive identity factors impact TNB people’s well-being, and the role of systematic oppression and intersecting marginalized identities. Outside of academic pursuits, he enjoys being outside (especially hiking, backpacking, and running), going to coffee shops, and hanging out with his two dogs (Reptar and Calcifer) and his partner. Jennifer Ho, PhD (She/Her) Jennifer (Shin-Pei) Ho (she/her/hers) is a Staff Psychologist at the University at Albany’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She received her M.A. in Gender Studies from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan and her Ph.D. in the Counselling Psychology from McGill University. Jennifer’s research interests include mental health and help-seeking behaviors among LGBTQ+ populations, feminist pedagogy, international students’ acculturation, gender-based violence and bullying prevention, gender equity education, and multicultural clinical supervision. Her clinical interests focus on intersecting identities, gender and sexuality, acculturation, and wellbeing of international students, first-generation immigrants and college students. During her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her two cats, hiking, skiing, playing piano and drums, and watching movies extensively. Chad Keller, PhD (He/Him) Chad Keller, Ph.D. (he/him/his) is a Professor of Psychology at Lewis and Clark Community College (St. Louis Metro area), as well as a clinician in private practice. He holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and is interested in the areas of attachment, trauma recovery, and identity development. Samantha Daniel, PhD (She/Her) Samantha Daniel, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is the Director of Research and Analytics under the Office for Force Resiliency in the Department of Defense (DoD). She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis and completed her doctoral internship at the Counseling and Psychological Services Center at Appalachian State University. Her research interests span the entire spectrum of equal opportunity across military and civilian populations. In particular, she researches racial/ethnic relations, gender relations, harassment and discrimination, sexual assault, and sexual orientation and gender identity to deliver data driven solutions to ensure all members, regardless of background or identities, are treated with dignity and respect in the military. She is also a military spouse who enjoys traveling all over the world with her husband and two young children. Cayden Halligan (They/Them) Cayden Halligan (they/them) is a 4th year, doctoral student at Seton Hall University. They are a white, non-binary, masculine of center, queer person who is mixed class and currently able bodied. They are a 4th generation immigrant and U.S. citizen. Their ancestors are Irish, Italian and Russian. They reside on Lenapehoking, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape land. Their research is around critical Whiteness and healing justice. They enjoy growing plants, being outside, cooking a new recipe and laughing with people they love. Lexie Willie (She/Her) Lexie Wille (she/her/hers) is a 5th year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research and professional interests focus on improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare services for the LGBTQ+ community. Lexie has worked with a number of organizations that are working to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ youth and adults, including Austin Public Health, Black Trans Leadership of Austin, GLMA, OutYouth, QWELL, and SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. She also serves as a member of the APAGS Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (CSOGD) and the GLMA Health Professionals in Training Curriculum Reform Committee. Megan Herdt (She/Her) Megan Herdt (she/her/hers) is a fourth-year student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Megan graduated from Elon University in 2019 with a B.A. in psychology. Her research, based primarily in the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), lies at the intersection of counseling psychology and vocational psychology. Specifically, Megan studies how intersecting forces of privilege, power, and oppression impact workers’ vocational trajectories and access to decent, dignified work. She successfully proposed her three-article dissertation in January 2023, and her three studies examine ways in which workers use their internal and external strengths and resources to navigate organizational and structural obstacles in the world of work. Megan also teaches counseling and vocational courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels at UWM and Marquette University. Clinically, Megan practices in college counseling, where she uses intersectional feminist and relational cultural therapy to support the wellbeing and identity development of undergraduate and graduate students. Megan specializes in working with LGBTQ+ students, especially related to explorations of sexuality and gender, and invests herself in outreach, advocacy, and program development focused on expanding institutional and community supports for LGBTQ+ college students. Outside of her doctoral program, she loves spending time outside (kayaking, hiking, learning new winter sports), reading (especially feminist and queer theory), exploring the local brewery scene, and going to concerts. Olivia Jackson (She/Her) Olivia Jackson (she/her/hers) is a first-year doctoral student in the Counseling psychology program at Tennessee State University. Olivia graduated from Antioch University Los Angeles with a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A in Clinical Psychology in 2021. She currently practices psychotherapy at Nashville CARES, where they provide a unique combination of services and resources to support people living with HIV/AIDS. Her research interests include examining the relationship between repeated exposure to community violence and academic outcomes in African American adolescents and transitional age youth. Additionally, she looks to explore gender diversity, race-based and intergenerational trauma, family systems and family violence in her research. Her work focuses on the liberation of marginalized communities. She loves spending time with her dog, Vixen, hiking, finding new restaurants and Grey’s Anatomy. Kayla Lewis (she/her) Kayla (she/her/hers) is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology at Marquette University. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Psychology and a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kayla currently practices at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and provides LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy to Veterans. Her research interests include gender euphoria, health and well-being among trans women of color, and coping mechanisms for gender minority stress among transgender and gender nonconforming adults. She enjoys art, baking, and interior design in her free time. Description of PositionsChairperson: The Chairperson (2-year term; professional member) shall preside at all meetings, shall be the Chairperson of the Governing Committee with right to vote, and shall perform such duties as are customarily incident to the office of a Division 17 Section Chairperson (e.g., encourage section initiatives, encourage/recommend the development of programs). Past-Chair: The Past-Chairperson (1-year term; professional member) is the most immediately retired Chairperson of the Section and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee for the year immediately following completion of the term of office as Chairperson. The past Chairperson will be responsible for conducting the elections of the Section. They will also be responsible for nominations and elections of Section awards. Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect (1-year term; professional member) shall perform all duties as assigned by the Chairperson. Treasurer: The Treasurer (2-year term; professional member) will disburse funds authorized in the budget on behalf of the Section and maintain custody of all funds of the Section (e.g., preparing an annual Section budget, keeping full record of all funds received and all funds disbursed and shall issue a report on the financial status). Secretary: The Secretary (2-year term; professional member) shall keep the records of the Section (including but not limited to meeting minutes of the Section and the Executive Committee), conduct the official correspondence of the Section and keep membership informed about the activities of the Section. Advocacy Officer: The Advocacy Officer (2-year term; professional member or student member) shall chair the standing committee for Advocacy and will serve on the Executive Committee. The officer will work closely with the Member-at-Large (MAL) and student representative positions focused on advocacy. Outreach and Engagement Officer: The Outreach and Engagement Officer (2-year term; professional or student member) is responsible for recruiting new members, maintaining a membership roster, and overseeing the Section website, the Section Facebook page, and determining how best to communicate news and information to the Section members and affiliates. The officer will work closely with the MAL and student representative positions focused on outreach and engagement. Program Committee Chair: The Program Committee Chair (2-year term; professional member) is responsible for coordinating Section programming during the APA convention and other potential gatherings (both virtual and in-person). The chair will work closely with the MAL and student representative positions focused on programming efforts. Three Members-At-Large: MALs (2-year term; professional members) perform duties as determined by the Executive Committee with input from the membership, but are expected to relate to the ongoing committee efforts (with an emphasis on either advocacy, outreach and engagement, or programming). These duties may include; but are not limited to, coordinating ad hoc or standing committees, projects or special initiatives. Three Student Representatives: Student Representatives (2-year term; student members) work to address the needs of student section affiliates; works on projects across term and with other EC members. Student reps will work closely with professional members in one of the following areas: advocacy, outreach and engagement, or programming. |
